Scottish Parliament

Written Answers

Wednesday 9 February 2000

Scottish Executive

Education

Nicola Sturgeon (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what is the membership, remit and estimated timescale for reporting of the Ministerial Strategy Committee on Continuing Professional Development for Teachers.

Mr Sam Galbraith: The Strategy Committee on Continuing Professional Development for Teachers will be chaired by the Deputy Minister for Children and Education. The membership is being finalised and, alongside practising teachers, will include eminent figures from business, education and other fields.

  The remit is as follows:

  to oversee the development and implementation of a national strategy for teachers’ continuing professional development (CPD);

  to ensure that the strategy reflects national priorities for school education, in particular the raising of standards and improvement in levels of attainment;

  to ensure the effective promotion and marketing of CPD to teachers, parents, policy makers and other stakeholders;

  to ensure the strategy, and the standards and programmes forming part of the strategy, address future as well as current requirements of schools and teachers;

  to consider any other strategic issues relating to teachers’ professional development.

  Working practices and timescales for particular tasks will be established at the first meeting of the Committee.

Education

Nicola Sturgeon (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive to provide details of the proposed consultation on national priorities in education.

Mr Sam Galbraith: We will be issuing a consultation paper on national priorities later this month. The paper will go to a wide range of interested groups including education authorities, school boards, teaching unions, employers and pupil councils. My officials will also be holding a series of consultation meetings around Scotland. A report on the consultation will be published later in the year.

Education

Nicola Sturgeon (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what is the membership, remit and timescale for reporting of the proposed National Planning forum to oversee the development of a national strategy on parental involvement in schools education.

Mr Sam Galbraith: The remit of the group is:

  To advise and assist the development of strategies in schools and education authorities designed to improve effective involvement of parents through:

  understanding and assisting their children’s learning;

  addressing parental information needs at individual, school and authority level;

  responding to parents – including complaints procedures and advice services;

  seeking parental views on relevant issues.

  The group will be made up of representatives from the Scottish School Boards Association, Scottish Parent Teacher Council, Scottish Consumer Council and the Association of Directors of Education in Scotland. It will advise Ministers at regular intervals as necessary, and therefore does not have a fixed timescale for reporting.

Education

Mr Gil Paterson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many primary school teachers have left the education service through natural wastage over the last three years.

Mr Sam Galbraith: In 1996-97 1,059 teachers and in 1997-98 350 teachers left the primary sector, where a return to teaching was unlikely. These are the only two years for which information is currently available.

Education

Mr Gil Paterson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many text books, at what cost, and how many computers, at what cost, were purchased in North and South Lanarkshire in 1998-99.

Peter Peacock: The Scottish Executive does not collect detailed information of this kind. Detailed decisions on the purchase of books and equipment are matters for the local authorities and schools.

Education

Mr Gil Paterson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many primary school teachers are expected to qualify in each of the next three years.

Mr Sam Galbraith: It is estimated that approaching 900 students will graduate from higher education institutions in Scotland with primary teaching qualifications in summer 2000, and between 750 and 800 in each of the following two years. In subsequent years the number of graduates is expected to rise slowly to around 1,000 annually.

Employment

Mr Duncan Hamilton (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make representations to Her Majesty's Government on what its estimate is for wage inflation in Scotland in 2000-01.

Mr Jack McConnell: The Executive has no plans to make any representations. However, we are frequently in touch with HM Treasury on pay issues.

Environment

Mr Gil Paterson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the contaminated land survey proposed for Monklands will include consideration of the impact of contaminated land on the health of people in local communities and whether funding will be made available for treatment of contaminated land found as a result of this survey.

Sarah Boyack: I understand that North Lanarkshire Council is currently gathering information on potential contaminated land sites within its area, including Monklands, so that when the new contaminated land regime is implemented later this year it will be well placed to carry out its statutory responsibilities. The impact of a potential contaminated site on human health is one of the possible causes of significant harm which are to be taken into account by local authorities when considering the designation of particular areas of land as contaminated.

  Under the regulations, responsibility for paying for remediation will follow the polluter pays principle. This means that, in the first instance, the persons who caused or knowingly permitted the contamination will be liable for undertaking the remediation and meeting its costs. Funding of £10.7 million has been made available over the three years 1999-2000 to 2001-02 to help local authorities in Scotland develop inspection strategies, carry out site investigations and take forward enforcement action.

Health

Margaret Jamieson (Kilmarnock and Loudoun) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will confirm its commitment to the continuation of the only Scottish paediatric cochlear implant service at Crosshouse Hospital, Kilmarnock.

Susan Deacon: The future provision of cochlear implantation in Scotland has been considered by the National Services Advisory Group (NSAG), which advises the Scottish Executive on specialist services. Following careful consideration of this work, I have decided:

  Cochlear implantation services will continue to be nationally commissioned for the next three years;

  The current service configuration be maintained – paediatric and adult services from Crosshouse Hospital in Kilmarnock and an adult service from the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh;

  Additional funding of £150,000 from 2000-01 to improve the current service.

Health

Kay Ullrich (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list the official bodies and committees involved in formulating, monitoring and auditing cancer care policies and strategies and provide a brief outline of the specific responsibilities of each organisation.

Susan Deacon: The Scottish Cancer Group (SCG) is the overarching advisory body responsible for the development of Scotland’s cancer strategy. There are SCG sub-groups for Quality Assurance, Chemotherapy and Cancer Genetics.

  The Scottish Executive Health Department’s Cancer Executive Group (CEG) supports the SCG agenda and is responsible for the work of the Scottish Cancer Therapy Network (SCTN). SCTN is funded by the Scottish Executive and supports the nationwide quality assurance of cancer services and clinical trials.

  Other bodies/committees involved in strategic developments in cancer are:

  The Clinical Standards Board for Scotland (CSBS) was established from 1 April 1999 as a Special Health Board responsible for monitoring standards of clinical services provided by the NHS. The CSBS and the QA Sub-Group work together to co-ordinate the establishment and monitoring clinical standards initially in breast, lung, colorectal, gynaecological cancer services and in palliative care. The CSBS has established sub-groups to develop generic and tumour/service specific clinical standards in each of these areas.

  National clinical audits funded by the Executive’s Clinical Resource and Audit Group are also underway, or will commence shortly, in gastric-oesophageal, urological and head and neck cancers and will provide the basis for QA and the development of clinical standards in these tumour types.

  The Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN), also funded by the Executive, has published national clinical guidelines for breast, colorectal, lung and testicular cancer. A guideline for the management of pain in cancer is expected to be published this year.

  Two sub-groups of the Scottish Medical and Scientific Advisory Committee (SMASAC) are expected to report shortly on (i) recommendations for a radiological equipment replacement programme using cancer as a model and (ii) the diagnostic/laboratory services required to support a breast cancer managed clinical network.

Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to ensure that drugs for dementia are available to all those who require them.

Susan Deacon: In 1998, guidance on the use of new drugs for Alzheimer’s disease produced by the Standing Medical Advisory Committee in England and endorsed by the National Medical Advisory Committee in Scotland, was issued to all relevant clinicians from the Chief Medical Officer and the Chief Pharmaceutical Officer. This guidance remains extant.

Health

Mr Murray Tosh (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will (a) state the value of the capital receipt to the health service for the sale of the County Hospital, Ayr and (b) the total of security and other property costs incurred in respect of the hospital between the final closure of the hospital and conclusion of missives for its sale and between the conclusion of missives and the final disposal of the property.

Susan Deacon: Ayr County Hospital was sold for £501,000. Costs for security and maintenance between the date of closure and the final disposal of the property totalled £567,419.

Health

Mr Duncan Hamilton (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many beds are currently available within the NHS and how does this figure compare to the figures from 1997 onwards broken down by quarter.

Susan Deacon: The number of NHS average available staffed beds for the quarters ending 31 March 1997 to 30 September 1999, the latest period for which information is centrally available, is given in the table.

  NHS IN SCOTLAND: AVERAGE AVAILABLE STAFFED BEDS1

  


Quarter Ending 

  

Average Available 

  Staffed Beds 

  



March 1997 

  

39,073 

  



June 1997 

  

38,602 

  



September 1997 

  

37,883 

  



December 1997 

  

37,723 

  



March 1998 

  

37,788 

  



June 1998 

  

36,962 

  



September 1998 

  

36,396 

  



December 1998 

  

36,007 

  



March 1999 

  

36,140 

  



June 1999 

  

35,328 

  



September 1999p


34,679 

  



  Source: ISD Scotland

  p Provisional

  Notes:

  1. Includes beds in non-NHS locations (e.g. joint users and contractual hospitals) for use by NHS patients.

Health

Mr Andrew Welsh (Angus) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average waiting times for Angus outpatients were in each of the past six months and what the comparable figures were for the previous year.

Susan Deacon: The information on waiting times for an outpatient appointment following referral from a General Practitioner/General Dental Practitioner is shown in the table below:

  


Waiting Times of Angus 

  Residents1 

  for a First Outpatient Appointment following referral from a 

  General Medical Practitioner/General Dental Practitioner2




First appointment 

  during: 

  

Median Wait (days) 

  



July 1998 

  

34 

  



August 1998 

  

40 

  



September 1998 

  

41 

  



October 1998 

  

42 

  



November 1998 

  

45 

  



December 1998 

  

38 

  



July 1999 

  

43 

  



August 1999 

  

49 

  



September 1999 

  

42 

  



October 1999 

  

49 

  



November 1999p


46 

  



December 1999p


35 

  



  p Provisional Information

  Notes:

  1. Known residents of the known Angus Council Area

  2. Relates to referrals made by GMPs or GDPs to all specialties (excluding A&E and GUM) – patients with a Patient’s Charter guarantee are also excluded.

Health

David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has compiled or plans to compile statistics to show the times taken to respond to a call for assistance when that call is responded to by an ambulance which is being operated on an "on-call" basis and, if so, whether it will make these statistics available.

Susan Deacon: The Scottish Executive has no plans to compile and publish such statistics. This is an operational matter for the Scottish Ambulance Service. Each of its eight Management Divisions routinely review the workload and performance of ambulance stations, including those operating on-call arrangements.

Health

David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has carried out any research into the effects on the health and competence of staff, either in the Scottish Ambulance Service or the health service in general, of preceding or following periods of full-time work with lengthy periods of "on-call" work and, if so, whether it will make this research available.

Susan Deacon: The health and safety of all staff in the NHS is of paramount importance. It is the clear responsibility of all NHS employers to ensure that they are doing all that they can to safeguard their staff.

  While the Scottish Executive has not carried out any specific research we have recently published an Occupational Health and Safety Strategy which includes the need for employers to undertake a risk assessment of all tasks and activities and implement policies aimed at reducing incidents in the workplace.

Health

David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress the Scottish Ambulance Service has made in implementing the provisions of the EU Working Time Directive and what the anticipated timescale is for full compliance.

Susan Deacon: Most of the provisions of the EU Working Time Directive present no difficulty for the Scottish Ambulance Service and are already in place. There remain, however, a number of issues to be addressed. The Scottish Ambulance Service has established a Joint Working Party comprising management & trade unions representatives on the Working Time Directive to resolve these issues as quickly as possible.

Health

David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish the most recent available data on the use of "on-call" services by the Scottish Ambulance Service.

Susan Deacon: The Scottish Executive has no plans to compile and publish such statistics. This is an operational matter for the Scottish Ambulance Service. Each of its eight Management Divisions routinely review the workload and performance of ambulance stations, including those operating on call arrangements.

Health

David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what guidelines it has issued to the Scottish Ambulance Service on the appropriate balance between full time manned services and the provision of "on-call" services at ambulance stations.

Susan Deacon: The issue of balancing full-time manned services and on-call arrangements at ambulance stations is a matter for the management of the Scottish Ambulance Service to consider. The Scottish Executive has not issued any specific guidelines on this issue but has issued guidance on compliance with the provisions set out in the EU Working Time Directive as it relates to the working hours and patterns of staff.

Health

Mrs Margaret Smith (Edinburgh West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-3451 by Susan Deacon on 10 January 2000, whether it has any plans to establish a national rate for caesarean sections, bearing in mind the World Health Organisation recognised rate of 10-15%.

Susan Deacon: The Scottish Executive has no plans to do so.

  The World Health Organisation does not make specific recommendations about the rate of caesarean delivery. They do advise that rates lower than 5% should alert health planners and managers to the possibility that access to essential care is insufficient and that rates higher than 15% should draw attention to the possibility of the overuse of caesarean section. WHO also point out that where national rates for caesarean delivery fall between 5 and 15% it cannot be assumed that that is the appropriate rate as much depends on the circumstances surrounding each birth. The decision on the way a baby is to be delivered will be taken by the doctors and midwives on the basis of a number of factors.

  The Scottish Executive together with the Royal College of Gynaecologists are actively looking to reduce the rates where clinically appropriate.

Health

Dorothy-Grace Elder (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) angiogrammes and (b) angioplasties were performed at Glasgow Royal Infirmary in each quarter from January 1998 to December 1999.

Susan Deacon: This information is available on request from North Glasgow University Hospitals NHS Trust.

Health

Dorothy-Grace Elder (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) angiogrammes and (b) angioplasties were cancelled due to shortage of beds at Glasgow Royal Infirmary in each quarter from January 1998 to December 1999.

Susan Deacon: This information is available on request from the GRI.

Health

Dorothy-Grace Elder (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) angiogrammes and (b) angioplasties have been performed at Glasgow Royal Infirmary during January 2000.

Susan Deacon: This information is available on request from North Glasgow University NHS Trust.

Health

Dorothy-Grace Elder (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) angiogrammes and (b) angioplasties have been cancelled due to shortage of beds at Glasgow Royal Infirmary in each quarter from January 2000.

Susan Deacon: This information is not available.

Health

Dr Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will examine the operation of on-call ambulance services, and whether the conditions under which on-call ambulance crew work contravene the EU Working Time Directive.

Susan Deacon: The Scottish Ambulance Service is currently undertaking a review of working arrangements at its ambulance stations to ensure their conditions fully comply with the EU Working Time Directive.

  Scottish Executive Health Department officials will meet with the Scottish Ambulance Service to discuss the progress and future plans of the Ambulance Service’s Joint Working Party on the Working Time Directive.

Health

Mr Andy Kerr (East Kilbride) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether insulin pen needles and re-usable insulin injection pens can be prescribed on the NHS.

Susan Deacon: I have agreed that, with effect from 1 March, insulin pen needles and certain re-usable insulin pens should be prescribable by GPs on the NHS.

Holyrood

Ms Margo MacDonald (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how its financial forward planning has been affected by the latest cost estimates for the Holyrood project.

Mr Jack McConnell: The costs of the Holyrood project fall largely to be met from the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body’s budget.

  It is a matter for the SPCB to determine its budget requirements.

Housing

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish a comparative analysis between the costs of funding housing through (a) private finance and (b) the Public Works Loans Board.

Ms Wendy Alexander: No. Such a comparison would require comprehensive cost/benefit analyses on a project-by-project basis.

Information

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what data provided in the new publication Scottish Economic Statistics will be additional to that currently provided in the Statistical Bulletins (Industry Series).

Mr Jack McConnell: In addition to the statistical information which was historically provided in the former Scottish Office Industry Series of Statistical Bulletins, the Scottish Executive’s new Scottish Economic Statistics publication, which is due for release in February, will include:

  Service sector statistics.

  Agriculture sector statistics.

  A range of information on the personal sector (household income, expenditure, DSS benefits).

  Labour market statistics (economic activity, employment, unemployment, rates, average earnings, occupations etc.).

  Regional Selective Assistance by industry and ownership.

  Analysis of trade and the domestic content of Scottish exports.

  Historic time series for the new Scottish GVA index.

  Aggregate Scottish Supply and Use matrices.

  Analysis of the total economic effects of Scottish final demand (consumers, government, etc.).

  A range of indicators disaggregated to sub-Scotland (Unitary Authority) levels.

  General and local government expenditure and income.

  Housing indicators (private sector activity, new dwellings and changes in tenure).

  Transport indicators (passenger and freight traffic, and numbers of new vehicle registrations).

  In additional to providing a significant range of new information about Scotland’s economy, by presenting this information in a single publication, it is anticipated that a deeper understanding and analysis of Scotland’s economy will be developed.

Legislation

Mr Gil Paterson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what consultation process has been carried out over plans to abolish section 2A of the Local Government Scotland Act.

Mr Frank McAveety: The repeal of section 2A of the Local Government Act 1986 has been a longstanding commitment of the UK Government. The Scottish Executive also expressed its commitment to the principles of equal opportunities and to tackling exclusion in all walks of life in Scotland in the Partnership document.

  The Scottish Executive consulted extensively on its intention to repeal section 2A in its consultation document Standards in Public Life: Consultation on the Ethical Standards in Public Life etc. (Scotland) Bill which issued on 18 November 1999. The consultation period closed on 14 January 2000. Over 6,500 copies of the paper were sent out. In addition, the Bill appeared on the Scottish Executive website. There were over 2,300 responses to that consultation.

Local Government Finance

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether, if East Dunbartonshire Council limits the increase in its council tax rates for 2000-01 to the level recommended by the Executive, it will be allowed to set a budget above the Executive’s expenditure guidelines.

Mr Jack McConnell: I made it clear in the reply I gave to a question from Mr Watson on 15 October that I will expect East Dunbartonshire to return to their guideline figure and I would expect to see them making clear progress towards that next year.

Local Government Finance

Mr Keith Harding (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-3488 by Mr Jack McConnell on 11 January 2000, how many jobs have been lost in local government in each of the last two financial years and to date in the current year and whether any of these job losses were a direct result of budgetary reductions.

Mr Jack McConnell: Staffing levels are a matter for local authorities themselves. Available figures for local authority staffing levels show an overall decrease of 2,161 full-time equivalent (FTE) staff for the period 1997-98, a further decrease of 1,859 for the period 1998-99, and an increase of 374 for the period March-June 1999. These figures, which are drawn from Joint Staffing Watch , issued jointly by the Scottish Executive and CoSLA, include fire and police services and comprise all full and part-time posts; the actual number of jobs, therefore, may vary independently of the number of FTE staff.

Parliamentary Questions

Tricia Marwick (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when it intends to answer question S1W-2483 lodged on 10 November 1999.

Susan Deacon: I answered S1W-2483 today

Student Finance

David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to bring forward any proposals which will ensure that those students in the South of Scotland who require to study in the North of England out of geographic or social necessity rather than academic choice can do so on the same financial basis as students resident in Scotland studying in Scotland.

Henry McLeish: The Scottish Executive has no plans to bring forward proposals to extend the package of support to Scottish domiciled students studying elsewhere in the UK. The Executive’s view is that to do so would run the risk of the UK being held to be in breach of EU law. The Executive will, however, examine all aspects of the new support scheme as the detail is developed and will consult all those with an interest.

Student Finance

Dr Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consider treating as a special case those students from the South of Scotland whose local higher education institutions are located in the North of England and fund their university education on the same basis as other Scottish students.

Henry McLeish: The Scottish Executive has no plans to treat such students as a special case. The Executive’s view is that to extend the package of support to Scottish domiciled students studying elsewhere in the UK would run the risk of the UK being held to be in breach of EU law. The Executive will, however, examine all aspects of the new support scheme as the detail is developed and will consult all those with an interest.

Transport

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when an announcement will be made about Rural Community Transport Grant funding for 2000-01; whether such funding will continue beyond 2000-01, and by what mechanism any such funding will be made available.

Sarah Boyack: I expect to make an announcement in the near future about the level of funding for rural transport in 2000-01, including the Rural Community Transport Grant Scheme. The current scheme is proving very successful with over 70 projects around Scotland currently receiving funding. The Executive is considering the issue of funding for the scheme beyond 2000-01.

Transport

Mr Gil Paterson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the improvements made following the Christmas drink-driving campaign in Strathclyde, whether it has plans for similar campaigns later in the year, and whether budgetary allocations will be made for such campaigns.

Sarah Boyack: The Scottish Executive provides funding to the Scottish Road Safety Campaign for the development of road safety education and publicity materials.

  The Scottish Road Safety Campaign is planning publicity later this year to address a number of road safety issues. Where appropriate, publicity, including publicity related to drink-driving, is linked to national enforcement campaigns undertaken by the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland.

Transport

Mr Gil Paterson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the success in reducing the number of accidents on the A89 linking Coatbridge and Bargeddie following the installation of a speed camera, whether it has proposals to make funding available for such installations at similar blackspots on other roads in Lanarkshire.

Sarah Boyack: Local authorities, in association with the police, are responsible for the installation and operation of speed cameras on local roads such as the A89. The Scottish Executive, in association with the police, is responsible for cameras on trunk roads.

  The Scottish Executive provides local authorities with a block allocation for expenditure on a number of services. It is for each council to consider the priority to be given to the installation of speed cameras, in terms of all the services for which it is responsible, and to allocate resources accordingly. These arrangements give local authorities flexibility to determine what measures are required to meet local needs and circumstances.

  The Scottish Executive has not identified any speed-related accident blackspots on the trunk road network in Lanarkshire and has no plans to install cameras.